Striving for a Common Goal

Ajamu Brown '99 credited his time at the Ithaca College London Center with greatly impacting his eventual career path. (Photo submitted)

Ajamu Brown '99 is always looking at the bigger picture. In his role as the director of the Office of Housing and Health for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Brown doesn't provide services directly to individuals. Rather, he explained that he works at the systems level to help individuals work with various organizations "toward shared goals around housing stability, mental health, environmental health, and health equity."

What exactly does that mean? "A typical day might involve meeting with colleagues from other city agencies, community organizations, and nonprofit partners to discuss projects that sit at the intersection of housing and health," he said. One such project, within his broader portfolio focused on "asthma, environmental health, and neighborhood-based initiatives that recognize how housing conditions affect overall well-being."

The common theme in much of Brown's work is how often it is focused on the bigger picture of health, not just what happens at a doctor's office or hospital. That's a lesson Brown learned during his time as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Omaruru, Namibia, from 2000 to 2002, where among other things, he assisted the Ministry of Health with HIV/AIDS outreach: "[I saw how health] was tied to history, housing, education, and whether communities had the resources and relationships they needed to thrive," he said.

Brown credited his time at Ithaca College for helping him grow that big-picture mindset and in particular Dani Novak, now professor emeritus of mathematics, who taught him to think critically about long-term impact. "His question, 'Who will keep it running when you're gone?' still shapes the way I approach my work today," said Brown.

"I can see a clear thread running through my career. [It] has always been about helping communities build the conditions that allow people to thrive ... I'm grateful that my time at Ithaca College helped shape those values and gave me the foundation for a career in public service."